Madison County, Alabama

Republican John Bratz and Democrat Craig Goforth are running for Madison County, North Carolina's school board chair ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, with early voting beginning Oct. 15. Both candidates, in interviews with The News-Record, cited student safety, teacher support and funding as top priorities, along with facility maintenance and responsible financial planning.

Bratz, a current District 2 board member with a maintenance and engineering background, emphasized bus safety, competitive teacher compensation and preventative facility upkeep. Goforth, who has 18 years of prior school board experience and helped bring programs like ROTC and school resource officers to the county, focused on securing additional funding streams, managing growth from nearby Weaverville, and addressing food insecurity among students. Both candidates said transparency between the school board and community is essential, echoing the new superintendent's stated goal of improving communication with parents. The race also touches on statewide debates over private school voucher expansion and public school funding pressures affecting North Carolina districts.

Ahead of North Carolina's Nov. 3 general election, Madison County Board of Education chair candidates Republican John Bratz and Democrat Craig Goforth outlined contrasting views on private school voucher expansion and public school funding, two of the most prominent issues in statewide races this cycle. Bratz said he supports parental school choice but argued any school receiving public funds should face accountability standards comparable to public schools, warning that voucher expansion must not drain resources from rural districts like Madison County. Goforth was more critical, saying vouchers divert tax dollars from public schools that must serve all students while private schools operate with fewer obligations.

Both candidates backed continued school nutrition support, with Bratz favoring universal free meals for all students, citing stigma and funding gaps under the prior system. Statewide, school nutrition programs reportedly face significant debt. Bratz's priorities for a first term include facility maintenance, student safety, CTE and STEM programs, and balancing technology with traditional instruction. Goforth emphasized fairness across the district and raising the graduation rate through CTE and extracurricular investment. Early voting began Oct. 15.

Republicans in Florida's Naples-area congressional district are heading into a crowded primary to succeed Representative Byron Donalds, who is running for governor. The race to fill his seat has drawn a notably unusual field, including several candidates who previously ran for or served in Congress representing other states before relocating to Florida.

Much of the contest has centered on candidates competing to demonstrate loyalty to President Trump and establish credibility as genuine Floridians, producing what commentators have described as an unusually chaotic and closely watched down-ballot primary. Donalds enters Tuesday's primary as the GOP gubernatorial frontrunner with Trump's endorsement, facing Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, former House Speaker Paul Renner, and businessman James Fishback, each arguing he needs to be challenged or replaced as the party's standard-bearer; Governor DeSantis has declined to endorse a successor. The winner will face Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican, in November. The outcome matters for prediction markets tracking control of a safely Republican House seat, as well as broader signals about Trump-aligned candidate strength heading into the 2026 midterms and Florida's leadership transition.